Two basic types of reactions were designated by Ernst Kretschmer as "biological radicals": “Totstellreflex” (feigning death) and “Bewegungssturm” (motion storm), published in 1923: "Hysterie, Reflex und Instinkt", Thieme, Leipzig), sometimes also called “hysterical hypokinesis and hyperkinesis” (Svorad, D:.AMA Arch Neur Psych 1957;77(5):533-539).
Thanatosis in spiders and insects, “playing possum, can often work”, serving as a protection strategy and “changing with external or internal conditions”. (Map of Life - University of Cambridge: http://www.mapoflife.org/topics/topic_368), see attachment.
Ich would like to know more about this fascinating phenomenon.
In animality thanatosis ("Schreckstarre") also is observed in birds and in prey animals of snakes.
It would be interesting to discuss the symptom or clinical picture of "catatonic stupor" ("Katatoner Stupor") in severe cases of some psychiatric disorders (eg severe depression or psychoses) under the aspect of Kretschmers "biological radicals". In humans we would not assume an underlying reflex or instinct but we could explain it by learning theory as a very extrem form of learned helplessness.
Thank you very much for your answer. "Learned helplessness" seems to be an usefull terminus in this context.
@ Michael Krichbaum. Concerning catatonia: Although catatonia has historically been associated with schizophrenia, it can occur in patients (...) with neurological diseases and other general medical conditions.* The new classification DSM-5 seems to open a new discussion. Besides, in our experience a dissoziative (psychogenic) stupor, that we call "Totstellversuch", is more often seen in clinical practice and ICU. * See the paper below.
Article Catatonia in DSM-5
Thank you for your answer. Concerning my special question, the evolutionary caused somatic approach may accommodate the symptoms of conversion, not regarding the lack of neurologic (but showing a lot of pseudoneurologic) signs. Fear reaction and defensing response in cases of death feigning - I call it "Totstellversuch", instead of "Totstell-Reflex" - been reported from several animals (spiders and insects), could be compared with some conversion signs in man.
Data communicative seizure interruption (Video-pictures)
Book Psychosomatik in der Neurologie
الافاعي تتظاهر بالموت عندما تقترب منها الحيوانات المفترسة لغرض افتراسها
Yes, Snakes pretend to die when predators approach them for the purpose of preying on them.
Doch das beste und berühmteste Totstellspiel – mit schonungs- loser Kritik am ärztlichen Stand – wurde von Molière (1622–
1673) beschrieben und inszeniert: Le malade imaginaire. Der eingebildete Kranke ist ein komödiantisches Paradestück für das
theaterbegeisterte und gesundheitsbewusste Publikum, aber auch für Hypochonder und professionelle Patienten und Patientinnen, die von Klinik zu Klinik wandern, darüber hinaus ein Lehrstück für alle Menschen, die in der Medizin tätig sind. Denn der von Molière inszenierte Totstellversuch des Protagonisten erweist sich als Generalschlüssel der Selbsterkenntnis. (Masuhr, K F. : Ärzte. Dichter und Rebellen. Würzburg 2018, S. 130 f.
Alexander Uspensky worked his way up from a seminarian and a policeman to a deputy commandant of the Moscow Kremlin and a high-ranking NKVD officer. During his career, he managed to work in the Urals, in Siberia, in the Ukrainian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and received ill fame even in the punitive organs.
In 1938 he received a further promotion - transfer to Moscow. But it is unlikely that Ouspensky was happy about this - such "promotions" almost always meant a quick arrest and execution. So he faked his own suicide by writing a suicide note with the words: "Look for a corpse in the Dnieper." His tunic and cap were found in the river, so at first he was really mistaken for the deceased.
Ouspensky fled to Voronezh, where he lived according to previously prepared forged documents and pretended to be a worker named Ivan Shmashkovsky. But the deception was revealed and the fugitive was detained, after which he was shot.
Yes, thank you very much for this political and historic view concerning the method of pretending to be dead.